Installing RED Rocket card

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Installing RED Rocket card

Hello ya'll!

I am going to be installing a RED Rocket card on my Mac Pro (2010 model) to do some transcoding of RED footage. Now, RED says to install the card into Slot 2. Which is great. My stupid question is: where is Slot 2? I've done a lot of googling of installing cards into Slot 2 and couldn't find any tutorials (hopefully video) on the subject. It might be a simple thing for others, but I don't open my computer up very often, so the location of Slot 2 and how to install the card remains a mystery. Help!

Thanks!

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Jan 9, 2012 6:48 PM

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Answer 1

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Kujako

Level 2

270 points

Jan 9, 2012 6:55 PM in response to dmitryfromny

Run the Expansion Slot Utility, located in "/System/Library/Core Services" and you can see not only the slot layout but how they are currently configured.

PS: Slot 2 is the second from the bottom. Your video card should be in the bottom slot (slot 1).

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Answer 2

dmitryfromny Author

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Jan 9, 2012 7:56 PM in response to Kujako

Thanks for your suggestion! I tried running the Expansion Slot Utility, but it tells me it's "not intended to run on this system." :-(

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Answer 3

Jan 9, 2012 11:10 PM in response to dmitryfromny

Te Expansion Slot Utility is only for the Mac Pro 1,1 and 2,1 models.

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Answer 4

dmitryfromny Author

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Jan 10, 2012 6:32 AM in response to Peter Jason

But of course!

So just out of curiosity. I was looking at some tutorials on installing an eSATA adapter. In the video they install it in the second slot, but say it can go in any of the available ones. Is that the same one?? On the right side of the CPU, about midway vertically, lying flat? Is that big flat thing the video card? And the RED Rocket would go right above that?? And then what would it plug into?

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Answer 5

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Jan 10, 2012 11:35 AM in response to dmitryfromny

You have it correct. The little instruction booklet that came with your machine shows you how to add and remove pci cards. If you don't have the manula handy, here's a pdf download for th 2010 mac pro. Look at page 74.

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Answer 6

Jan 10, 2012 11:32 AM in response to dmitryfromny

And then what would it plug into?

It has a card-edge connector that plugs into the PCIe slot on the motherboard, and presents its connectors at the backplate, which becomes a part of the back of the Mac Pro.

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Answer 7

dmitryfromny Author

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Jan 11, 2012 1:23 PM in response to X423424X

Thanks everyone!

Now, there's good news and bad news. The good news is the card is installed and is recognized. The bad news is that I'm told as I try to do some work with it it tells me: "Warning: RedRocket #0 is in a 1x PCI-Ex Lane. The RedRocket requires an 8x lane to perform properly." My main Radeon card is running 16x. What can I do speed up the Red Rocket? Is it just in the wrong Slot? Should I try one of the others? Or is there something else? I know that there's a way to redistribute the lanes. Is this recommended? (My machine is from early 2010.)

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Answer 8

Kujako

Level 2

270 points

Jan 11, 2012 1:37 PM in response to dmitryfromny

There are two 16x slots and two 4x slots in the 2010 models I think.

Slots 1 and 2 are x16

Slots 3 and 4 are x4

Are you sure you have the card in slot 2? There may not be room if the video card is too large and is in slot 1. Perhaps try moving the video card to slot to and the RedRocket card to slot 1?

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Answer 9

Jan 11, 2012 1:38 PM in response to dmitryfromny

And did you install it in the "second from the bottom" slot, as instructed above?

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Answer 10

Jan 11, 2012 1:39 PM in response to Kujako

The Video card should be in slot 1, which on that model is a double-wide slot. There should be lost of room in slot 2.

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Answer 11

Kujako

Level 2

270 points

Jan 11, 2012 1:44 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Meaning not the second from the bottom open slot, but the slot right above the video card if the video card is in the bottom slot (which it should be). So there should be nothing between the video card and the RedRocket card.

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Answer 12

dmitryfromny Author

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Jan 11, 2012 10:07 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Yep, the Rocket card is definitely in slot 2; second from the bottom. There are two more slots above it. It even says so in the Systems Report. Slot 2, Link Width x1. 😕

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Answer 13

Jan 11, 2012 10:10 PM in response to dmitryfromny

It sounds like the card-edge connector is not securely and completely in its slot, or the card is defective.

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Answer 14

dmitryfromny Author

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Jan 11, 2012 10:25 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Hmm...I'll check the conneciton tomorrow. Thanks! (But if it wasn't securely and completely in its slot - would it have worked at all??)

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